Lu

[Lu]

Okay, introductions.

Name: Lu (Full name: Lucy May Stevens, call me that and you die!)
Age: 21
Born: England

Background:

Hmmm, what would you want to know here?

I was born and brought up on the UK, Oxfordshire if you want specifics. I was a pretty ordinary kid, leading a pretty ordinary life. I enjoyed sports and was reasonable at Althetics and Gymnastics and also studied martial arts outside of school. It was really the weapons that intrigued me, if I am honest, but I also gain a lot from the mental control and focus it gives me.

I moved to Paragon fairly recently and discovered an old school friend also lived here (Sam HUntington, I understand most of you know her). I've been spending a bit of time getting myself settled and have managed to find myself a job as assistant coach at the local school, which means I get to continue a bit of the althletics and field work. AS Gymnastics isn't as big in Paragon as it was in England I've also been given the task of training and choreographing the cheerleading squad. A bit of a daunting task for an English girl like me, but I'm holding my own, just about.

Hobbies:

Martial arts - I study various different forms as I don't want to restrict myself or limit my options in a fight.
Gym - I need to keep fit and really enjoy a good workout, whether in the gym, or in the field.
Relaxing - Not averse to hanging out, or partying after a hard day out.

Other:

Any other questions, just give me a yell, I'm usually fairly easy to find.

((Any queries, or need to get in touch with Lu and she's not around catch me via global name: @pix ))

[Lu]

(( Little story idea I'm having... not sure how it might develop yet so don't know if it belongs in the Plots thread so I thought I'd put it here.... ))

Lu fell out of the base med-porter and collapses on the floor, the exertions of the previous few days eventually catching up with her. She crawled across the floor to the large plant that looked as if it would offer some protection from prying eyes if anyone else arrived. She just wanted a bit of time to recover before she could put the mask back on and face the world again.

Her mind flitted between subjects, not settling on anything for more than a few moments;

Freakshow, how can I avoid those stunning attacks?

Akkarin - Kat following it up, don't need me now.

Vampires, council, why mix vampires and war wolves with their AI units?

Volt - probably working on being in character so his cover isn't blown.

Arachnos, what do they *really* want, other than to cause mayhem?

Alita, no response to the note, probably busy fixing Richard's Porsche.

Devouring earth - What are they? What did they want in Paragon?

Marcus - Charming, but like most men, probably just saw her as a pretty face and a piece of ass.

Leaning against the plant the felt herself shivvering, the sound of the air conditioning filled her ears and the world began to spin. Her body rebelling against all the had put it through today.

'Just a few minutes' she told herself as darkness began to fill her vision. Her mind screamed at her to pay attention to the low chuckle intruding on her senses but she was incapably of reaction and passed out where she was.

[Lu]

(( Hmmm, stuff happened to Lu last night and I don't particularly want to put it onthe IC story thread as I think it might affect how people RP with her so I thought I would post it here... just as a quick kind of character update. Yell at me if I'm doing something people would rather I didn't ))

Stumbling as she ran through Kings Row from the club towards the train, Lu could feel tears pricking at her eyes. Her skin crawled and she could still feel the fear that filled her. She had thought she could handle Saviour, thought he was like most of the other men she had met in Paragon. Choking back a sob she slunk onto the train, cautiously watching the other passengers and found herself a seat in the corner, away from everyone else in the carriage. Rocking gently she wrapped her arms round herself and waited for the Galaxy stop, her eyes staing, unfocussed at a point on the floor in front of her feet.

Alighting from the train at Galaxy City, she ran as fast as she could for her apartment, shutting the door firmly once inside, throwing the bolts and setting the locks before she crumpled into a heap on the floor. She was shivering uncontrollably now, tears streaming down her face as she crawled into a corner of her hallway, curling up into a ball as tightly as she could. She could still feel his hand on her waist, his lips kissing her. She choked back another sob and screwed her eyes up tight against the rising fear that threatened to engulf her.

Minutes, hours passed and her mind gradually began to work again. Why hadn't it worked, how had she not scared him off, pushed him away? His temper had been apparent in his attitude towards poor little Paw who had been helping them with Ganymede's problems. And the way he snapped at Volt. She let out a snort of bitter humour escaped. Volt, who she knew disliked her. What would have happened if he hadn't turned up?

Her body trembled with awakened memories, the pain, the fear, the helplessness. One of the reasons she had come to Paragon was to escape. To make a new life for herself. She could forget, pretend it never happened, be a different person. Her coping techniques seemed to have been working so far. The over the top fliratious attitude either scared them away, or kept them on their toes enough to not know if they could take it any further. No one had touched her like that, in that way, to make her remember ... until Alita.

Alita! Sobs wracked her body, her breath coming in gasps between the silent whimpers. She couldn't know about this. Lu fought to bring herself under control. She didn't want Alita to see the pain she hid. It seemed petty when she thought of all Alita had gone through. Glancing at the clock she winced at the time. 3am. She had to be at school early that morning, Con was starting for his first day. Weakly she pushed herself up off the floor and wandered into the bathroom to find the sleeping tablets she kept in the cabinet. Just a couple to help her get some sleep tonight, she told herself.

She carried them and a glass of water into her bedroom. Sitting on the bed she set her alarm clock, before quickly swigging the tablets with her water and lying down to try and get at least some sleep before school.

[Lu]

08:30 Sunday 22 April, Alita's flat above the garage, The Huntington Manor.

Lu rose quietly, and pulled on a robe. She glanced at Alita to check she had not disturbed her and smiled at the sleeping form before padding quietly out of the room. Putting the kettle on, she made herself a coffee and wandered downstairs to the garage. It was still early so there was little chance Richard or Sam would be in there for a car and she wanted to think.

Her eyes roved over the vehicles lined up, all looking polished and refined, almost distant. Even the Porsche Alita had been working on now looked like a display model. A smirk crossed her lips as she imagined how it must drive. She doubted it performed anything like a display model now that Ali had given it her special treatment. Panning across the large room her eyes settled on the battered Ford in the corner. Walking over to it, Lu's fingered traced the contours of the wing and she smiled, her eyes going distant as she remembered the day Alita had got it. The grin, when she realised what was going on, hadn't left her face all night. And the hugs and kisses Lu had received had been giddy with happiness. Was this why Alita wanted them to get a place together? Lu couldn't really believe some one would feel like that about her. She knew people found her attractive, why else would they have wanted to use her body like they had.

She thought back to the first time Ali had touched her, had kissed her. It had been gentle and soft, but that hadn't stopped it feeling like an electric shock. All her nerves had tingled, she'd never felt anything like that before. It had felt as though her blood was on fire. She had responded, partly out of instinct, and partly because she was burning.

She froze for a second as the thought registered in her mind. That had been Ali making her feel like that. It hadn't been the unconditional desire she had felt for Arketh, nor the more complicated emotions that bombarded her whenever she saw Veskit. When she was with Alita she felt alive. Not just living but alive, buzzing. Her face shone with the realisation and she turned to go back up to the flat to see if Alita was awake and find out if she still wanted to get a place together.

[Lu]

Outside school, Monday night

Lu's eyes widened in amazement and she whooped with delight as the car pulled up outside the school. The red and black paint job looked fantastic and the mesh-filled cut out Alliance symbol on the bonnet was a work of genius. The

young girl clad in leathers in Alliance colours stepped out of the car on the driver's side and grinned at Lu across the roof of the vehicle. "Your carriage awaits, pretty lady."

A broad smile across her face, Lu descended the steps to the road, her eyes shining with wonder at the transformation Ali had pulled off with the car before her. Throwing her kit back behind the passenger seat she ran a hand along the roof and down to the bonnet, trailing it along the front wing as she walked along the car, taking it all in. "Nice bodywork" she commented, her smile morphing into a cheeky smirk.

Grinning, Ali replied "Just wait until you see what she's got under the hood."

Lu's eyes flicked down to take in the leathers Ali was wearing before returning to look at her face with a twinkle in her eye "I can't wait." She skipped back to the passenger door and climbed in as Ali got back into the driving seat.

Looking over to her, Ali reached across to give Lu a quick kiss on the cheek "Buckle up and hold on tight, and I'll show you what this baby can do."

[Lu]

Lu leant against the wall of the shower, the cool tiles felt good against her skin, helping her ignore the pain she felt inside. She needed to get to the base, to get hold of a few more stim patches, just to get her through until her regenerative capabilities fixed the pain. Since her fight with meadow, Lu felt more vulnerable to electrical damage that any of the other things villains tried to throw at her. The lightening Meadow had thrown at Lu that night had severely weakened her, but at the time her fury and adrenalin had kept her going. With the recent work she had been doing with Portal Corps bringing her into contact with more electrical attacks, she was struggling to cope. The internal scars it left meant her regeneration capabilities took a bit longer to recover from that type of attack.

But she knew she couldn't show her weakness. She had to be strong for Viessa and Kelly and Josh. She had to show them that the Alliance was strong and capable and could support guide and help them achieve their goals while making Paragon a safer place to be. She didn't want the other Alliance members to know either. If Veskit found out, she could only imagine how much he would wind her up about it. She just hoped no one would discover quite how many stim patches 351 had been letting her
have.

Squeezing her eyes tight closed to hold back the tears of guilt she felt about hiding it from Ali, she climbed out of the show and dressed. She didn't want Ali to worry about her. Lu knew there was nothing Alita could do to help, and that feeling of helplessness would frustrate Ali, so it was better kept hidden. At least part of her felt that way. Another part of her just wanted to rush into her arms every time she saw her, to be held without questions, and comforted. Guilt and fear threatened to overwhelm her again. If Ali found out, would she hate Lu for not saying anything?

Walking through to the living room, an involuntary smile crossed her face as she remembered curling up on the sofa with Ali the previous night. Chick flicks were a great way to make anyone feel better and Ali seemed to know instinctively that Lu needed a bit of TLC at the moment. All the more reason to keep working on the surprise she was creating for Ali.

Lu knew she could never match Ali for compassion or creativity, but she hoped she could show her a little of how much she cared for her. It wasn't going to be easy, figuring out all the details, or keeping it secret until it was ready, but she had to at least try. She smiled at the thought of Ali's face, and hoped she would like the surprise. But Lu has spent enough time thinking and planning, it was not time to put the plan into action.

Locating the phone, Lu picked it up and dialed her friend's number.
"Hi, it's Lu here. I was wondering if I could ask a bit of a long term favour?"